Fluppet’s Montessori Prospectus

Fluppet’s Montessori Prospectus A Nursery School open 47 weeks per year that facilitates

development of the intellectual, emotional, physical and social of the total learner.

Tel: 075963 95383

Email: [email protected]

www.fluppetsmontessori.com

Fluppet’s Montessori Nursery School

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Contents About us: 2

Admitting Children: 2

Partnerships with Parents: 3

The Nursery Day: 3

Mealtimes: 4

Session Times: 4

Montessori at Fluppet’s: 4

The EYFS Curriculum: 6

Terms and Conditions of Business 8

Pricing 10

15 Hours and 30 Hours Free Childcare and other Government Schemes 11


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About us: Fluppet’s Montessori School Limited is a new company and the vision of two practitioners with 18 years combined experience in many different sectors of the education system, both private and state. We believe that this enables us to tailor our Montessori ethos, not only to every unique learner, also, the education system that learners will be beginning at the age of 5.

We will treat every child as unique and singular as we nurture confidence and curiosity to create a stimulating and rewarding experience thus achieving their potential.

Fluppet’s Montessori will be a very small nursery school, thereby allowing us to focus upon our learners needs with the intensity that they deserve thus allowing them to benefit from an undiluted curriculum of exploration.

Admitting Children: We admit children any time in the year, of age from 2 years to 5 years of age.

Our opening hours are 8am to 6pm offering part-time and fulltime places. We are open for 47 weeks of the year, closing for the 2 weeks at Christmas and 3 weeks during summer.

Most children need some time to familiarise themselves with the nurseries’ environment and routine, so we start with a settling in period. We ask that you set aside one week for this, however, please do not worry if you are unable to spare this much time from your other commitments; the process may not take that long and can be shared with a carer or other family member to suit your needs.


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Partnerships with Parents: We will carefully document your child’s development and progress that will be recounted by verbal feedback on a daily basis; we encourage attendance of pre-scheduled meetings biannually. The purpose of these meetings will be to inform yourselves of your child’s progress in regard to the Montessori curriculum and the Early Learning Goals of the foundation stage. You will also be encouraged to attend meetings at the beginning of every term to discuss your child’s next step activities. We expect parents to check their children’s online learning journey records on Tapestry and comment on the observations if/when possible. We also encourage parents/carers to write their own observations of their child within the family home. Our online learning tracking system is active for the parents to read and understand their children’s development; this way they will be able to support and scaffold their children’s learning at home.

Extended learning at home is very much encouraged – anything from academic matters and nurturing curiosity to toilet training.

We actively encourage parents and carers to participate in events at the nursery and also invite parents and carers to come along and chat to the learners about their own jobs and hobbies.

We respect the role that you parents play as the most important individuals in your children’s lives; therefore, we want to develop a close working relationship so that we are constantly meeting the needs of both your child and you at this very significant stage of their development.

We encourage parents to be aware of our ethos, aims and policies and procedures. Our open-door policy encourages parents to share information with us and vice versa.

The Nursery Day: Our days are planned to ensure the children enjoy a holistic and inspiring learning experience by applying the Montessori Method of education to the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Children need to learn to understand change, however a structured day allows us to implement Maria Montessori’s ethos of learning through play. Play is an integrating mechanism in children’s learning; combining social, emotional, sensory, linguistic and physical development. Therefore, our structure will allow learners to spend time focusing upon certain elements of their development whilst preparing them for the far more regimented routines of primary schools. Children can then choose from a large range of core learning experiences that are always available to them as part of a constant provision.


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All children are creative and competent learners; we believe that children need time to develop and follow their own intrinsically motivated interests to explore their ideas in more depth. Our focussed activities are designed specifically to extend their learning and interests, thereby developing skills and knowledge to make connections with their unique learning experience at Fluppet’s Montessori. These activities will also be designed to suit the children’s individual needs, levels of development and current interests. The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) curriculum will inform our plans and learners will be invited to engage in activities that build on their current level of ability and knowledge.

Spending time outside in natural surroundings and fresh air is essential for all children. Our superb location enables our learners to use our outdoor play area and enjoy supervised time outside the nursery to incorporate aspects of Steiner and Forest school ideology. This gives the children an opportunity to participate in outdoor learning to encourage their innate desire to explore and investigate the natural world around them.

Mealtimes: The children will always sit down to eat breakfast, lunch and tea in ‘family’ groups. Support and facilitate them during mealtimes, encouraging them to try new things, teaching about nutrition and supporting them to learn independence and table manners. This gives us another opportunity to converse and reflect with the children upon the events and activities of their day. We provide children a wide variety of home-made hot meals during lunch and tea times. This allows them to discover different flavours and develop sense of taste in early years of their lives. Scientific researches suggest that introducing children with different variety of flavours increases their sense of taste by stimulating different taste buds which will eventually allow them to enjoy and benefit from nutrition. This will also help them to grow physically and academically.

Session Times: We offer full day and school day sessions between 8am and 6pm and 9am to 3pm.

Full Day - 8am to 6pm - including breakfast, a fruit/veg snack, lunch, tea and a fruit/veg snack

School Day - 9am to 3pm - including breakfast, a fruit/veg snack, lunch and a fruit/veg snack

Montessori at Fluppet’s: Montessori is a comprehensive educational approach that inspires a lifelong love of learning through observations of children’s needs in a variety of cultures. Maria Montessori was born in 1870 in Ancona, Italy, and went on to study engineering and


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mathematics she progressed to qualify as the first female doctor in her country’s history. In 1907 she opened her first school, in the area of San Lorenzo. She was so encouraged by her results that she began to share her discoveries with others by publishing books and lecturing. Thus, the Montessori Method of education was born.

The Montessori environment contains specifically designed, manipulative “that invites individuals to engage in learning activities of their choice”. Under the guidance of a trained practitioner, children in a Montessori classroom learn by making discoveries with available materials, cultivating concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning.

Montessori materials are unique, beautiful, mainly wooden and carefully crafted by experts. We aim to introduce the child to practical life skills using vast range of materials specially designed to develop the learner’s dexterity and muscle control. We assist the children develop gross and fine motor skills utilising Montessori Sensory apparatus. This prepares the learner not only for writing at a later stage but also answers to the child’s pleas to “help me to help myself”, thus encouraging further independence and confidence.

We introduce the children numbers and letters indirectly through everyday activities; the letters of the alphabet are taught phonetically using a range of specially designed materials, as are numbers and early mathematics. Later, as the children begin to read and write, we combine our Montessori Method with the EYFS Curriculum to create a hybrid process that can apply the Montessori Method to the contemporary education system. We aim to have all learners to exceed or at a minimum reach the required levels in Numeracy, Literacy and Reading for their reception year.

To provide a range multicultural activities to enhance the child’s perception of the world and all who live on it, using real life images of people, places and costumes from a diverse mixture of cultures. Children are introduced to geography through the use of globes, puzzle maps and an introduction to flags from around the world.

The foundational objectives of Montessori Method of education and fundamental aims of Fluppet’s are to sow the seeds of curiosity that will fuel lifelong learning. Learners’ welfare is paramount, we want to provide a holistic, secure and comfortable environment in which the learner can follow their ‘inner teacher’ and develop at their own pace at a time when their mind is at its most absorbent.


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The EYFS Curriculum: We follow the Early Years Foundation Framework which is broken down into seven areas of learning:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

● Sharing and taking turns ● Enjoying the company of friends ● Learning to behave responsibility ● Interpretation of emotions and feelings ● Children are provided with experiences and support that will help them

develop a positive sense of themselves and of others; social skills; and a positive disposition to learn. We can take into account children’s emotional wellbeing to help them to know themselves and what they can do.

Physical Development

● Joining in with activities using their large muscles e.g. running, jumping, climbing etc.

● Enjoying small muscle activities e.g. cutting, painting etc. ● Learning about health and safety ● Drawing lines and circles to develop gross motor skills ● Clearly communicating toiletry needs and is aware of hygiene

Communication and Language

● Use of non-verbal or verbal language to communicate with others ● Listening to stories with increasing attention and recall ● Beginning to understand ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions ● Beginning to use complex sentences to link coherent thoughts ● Using language as a power method of widening contacts

Literacy

● Development of a positive relationship with books and creation of stories ● Beginning to link up sounds and letters ● Making of marks and beginning to give them meaning ● Understanding with assistance that written symbols carry meaning, awareness

of the purpose of writing and when capable to use darn and written symbols for themselves

Expressive Arts and Design

● Use of simple tools and techniques competently and appropriately ● Creating movement in response to music ● Using resources to create props to support role play ● Playing cooperatively as part of a group to develop and act out a narrative


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● Beginning to use representation to communicate e.g. drawing a line and then stating that they have drawn a line

Mathematics

● Engaging with number songs and rhymes ● Exploration of shapes and patterns in play ● Using measures e.g. cooking, sand or water play ● Engaging in solving real life problems e.g. jigsaws, matching games or puzzles ● Through practical activities, children become familiar with sorting, matching,

ordering, sequencing and counting skills that form the basis for mathematics. ● As they use their developing mathematical understanding to solve problems,

children are assisted to learn and use the vocabulary of mathematics e.g. identifying objects by shape, position, size, volume, or number. Songs, games and picture books help children become aware of number sequences and, when they are ready, to use simple mathematical operations such as addition.

Understanding of the World

● Discovery about the world ● Use of ITC – computers, phones etc. ● Understanding the passing of time and their place in the world ● Participating in a range of cultural activities ● Children explore and experiment with a range of natural and manufactured

materials. They learn to observe the features of objects and substances, recognising differences, patterns and similarities and how to share and record findings.

Fusion of traditional Montessori areas of learning with the EYFS:

Montessori EYFS Practical Life Physical Development and Personal, Social &

Emotional Development Language Literacy

Mathematics Maths Culture Expressive Arts & Design and Understanding of the

World Sensorial Physical Development and Personal, Social &

Emotional Development


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Terms and Conditions of Business Opening hours: 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday excluding holidays

Medications, Accidents and Sickness:

The employees are not permitted to administer any medication unless they have been prescribed by a doctor and carry the pharmacy label with your child’s name, date and dosage instructions upon it. Please read our Health and Medication policy which sets out when staff can administer medication.

You will be required to sign a consent form for each day that your child is on medication, stating the times and amounts of medication you require the staff to administer. You will also be required to sign a consent form in the event that your child needs emergency medical attention and/or treatment following an accident or sudden illness. We will do our absolute best to contact you first.

We cannot accept liability for parents’ loss of earnings/income following an accident on our premises and fees must continue to be paid throughout the entire period of absence.

In the event of a minor accident or illness, we will provide such care and treatment as our qualified personnel consider appropriate. We cannot accept liability in respect of such treatment and you will be asked to sign an accident administration form if your child has been hurt at school.

Any child with a contagious illness will be sent home from the nursery, we ask that children stay at home for a minimum of 48 hours or until the illness has fully cleared. Parents should notify the nursery immediately if such an illness is diagnosed. If medicine is prescribed the child must be on the medication for 24 hours before coming back to the nursery. We reserve the right to ask for a clearance certificate from your child’s doctor if we believe the child’s disease is still infectious.

Safeguarding statement:

Fluppet’s Montessori recognises the responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all the children by protecting them from any form of abuse i.e. physical, sexual, and emotional. We believe that all children have the right to be protected and that all suspicions and allegations will be taken seriously and be investigated as per our policy. All applicants will have enhanced screening from the DBS (Data Barring Service) in concordance with the Department for Education and OFSTED.

Medical conditions, allergies and food preferences:

If your child has any dietary requirements, allergies or medical condition, please advise us upon registration. Although no liability can be accepted for any illness due to food allergies, please note that we are experienced in dealing with children with food allergies.


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Grievance/complaints procedure:

Should you be unhappy with any aspect of our school we have a parent liaison officer (Alexander Jones). If you do not wish to speak to this person feel free speak with the nursery director (Aylin Jones), any matters discussed will be treated with the strictest confidence. If you are concerned about something, we will take the earliest opportunity to speak to you to alleviate your worries. Similarly, we respect parents’ wishes and recognise the need for confidentiality; however, our prime duty is towards the child in respect to child protection. There are also complaint forms available on our website or in red folder attached on the parent’s notice board at the setting. We encourage parents to read our complaint procedure to gain wider information about how they are guided

Classroom access restrictions:

To ensure the non-interruption of teaching and children’s work, parents are not permitted to enter the classroom during school hours without a pre-scheduled appointment. Children are to be taken to the door of the classroom and met by a member of staff.

Non-attendance:

If your child is unable to attend school for any reason or will be late for longer than 30 minutes, please let us know by 7:30am on that day or ideally the day before. Fees remain payable during all absence.

Collection:

Please ensure your child is collected promptly by 3pm/6pm at the latest, early collection is possible if pre-arranged with nursery staff. We reserve the right to charge a late pickup fee.

We require in advance the name, description and telephone number of your child-minder, after-school career or any other individual authorised by you to collect your child from school. No matter of relation, without confirmation from the primary carer, we cannot due to child protection release your child into the custody of anyone else.

Possessions:

Please do not send your child to school with any valuable possessions as we cannot be held liable for loss or damage.

Changes to personal details:

Please notify the school in writing immediately if you change your address, telephone number, place of work or general practitioner.


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Nappies:

We will assist you in the toilet training of the child during their time at school, providing it is continued at home. Nappies are not supplied and you must therefore ensure that let us have an appropriate supply of nappies, baby wipes, cotton wool and cream etc.

Settling in policy:

All parents are required to ‘settle’ their children into the school; time should be set aside upon starting to do this. We ask that you set aside one week, however, please do not worry if you are unable to spare this much time from your other commitments; the process varies from child to child. Please read the attached sheet on ‘Points to consider when settling in a new child’.

We also offer the following sessions for children settling in:

Morning - 8am to 1pm - including breakfast, a fruit snack and lunch

Afternoon - 1pm to 6pm - including tea and a fruit snack

Pricing Fees: Breakfast (B), Lunch (L), Snack (S) and Tea (T)

2-5 Year Olds

Place type Hours Daily cost

4 weeks fee

Meals Cost with tax free childcare

5 full days 8am-6pm £54.00 £1080.00 B, S, L, S, T, £864.00



5 school days 9am-3pm £39.15 £783.00 B, S, L, S, £624.40




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15 Hours and 30 Hours Free Childcare and other Government Schemes Should you wish to utilise the 15 or 30 hour FEEE schemes, it is important that parents understand that this scheme is not inclusive of everything we offer at Fluppet’s Montessori. A price list of the optional extras available to you is here:

Item Daily Fee Breakfast and Tea £8

Snack x 2 £4

Lunch Club £9

Extra Curricular: Yoga, French, Cooking and Baking, Music and Movement and

Forestry Learning

£5

Please note; none of these fees are a condition for your child accessing their government funding with us.

Stretched Offer

You must not claim for more hours than your child will actually be attending the setting. However, if you are in receipt of a stretched offer with your provider, where your entitlement is taken over more than 38 weeks of the year, your provider will need to claim the maximum FEEE hours for the relevant term during the funded weeks. Your child may actually attend fewer hours per week but if your provider is stretching the FEEE you will still receive your full entitlement, see example below.

Spring Term Normal Stretched Number of weeks entitlement taken over 12 weeks 14 weeks Number of hours per week you are entitled to 15 hours 12.86 hours Number of hours per week the provider will claim per week

15 hours 12.86 hours

Number of FEEE hours that can be claimed 180 hours 180 hours

Registration:

If you wish to visit our school, please telephone to make an appointment. You will be given an appointment date and time for a wonderful show around! To register your child please fill in the application form attached and provide a registration fee of £40 and your deposit (see below), your child’s photograph and a copy of their birth certificate or passport. You will then be provided with a start date or placed on our waiting list, depending upon your requirements and our availability.

Fees and deposit:


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A deposit of £500 is required to secure a full-time place and £250 for part time. This deposit is non-refundable in the event of your child not starting on the date you have reserved. Deposits are repaid to you once all outstanding fees have been paid and providing the required six weeks’ notice period has been served. Your deposit can be used to offset your last bill at your request.

Fees are to be paid by the 5th of each month – invoices will be issued on the 1st of the month. Fees will be paid by standing order, and we also accept childcare vouchers. If payment is made between the 5th and 15th of the month a 10% late fee may be applied to the following month. If payment is made between the 15th and 30th a 20% late fee may be applied.

Please see our current fee schedule, which forms part of these terms and conditions of business. We reserve the right to review fees at any time during the course of the year.

Please be aware that we cannot offer you an alternative day for any UK public holidays.

If your child has a part time place and you wish for your child to attend one or more extra days in any one week, the extra fee will be payable on the day by cash or cheque and is not subject to discount.

If we are closed by a government body; such as food hygiene or Ofsted, fees remain payable for the duration of the closure and will not be refunded.

We are unable to swap days of attendance on a temporary basis. Extra sessions can be booked in person or over the phone with Alex.

The fees for the first two weeks of a holiday are fully payable, any subsequent weeks are charged at one session per full week away.

Although we are closed for public holidays and over the Christmas period this has already been deducted from the annual fees.

Notice period:

A full six weeks’ notice in writing of your intentions to reduce your child’s attendance or remove your child from the school is required. If appropriate notice is not received six weeks fees will be charged in lieu of the notice period. Your deposit can be used to offset your final invoice.

Points to consider for settling in a new child:

1. Your child’s intended keyworker will ensure they have read and familiarised themselves with the application forms and information regarding your child and yourself before they start attending school.


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2. The keyworker will make themselves available as much as possible to you and your child, even if it means freeing themselves from other responsibilities at the nursery. Other staff will be supportive throughout this period.

3. The keyworker will suggest a plan for the first week your child settles in and discuss this with you on their first day.

4. The keyworker will explain to your child what is happening during the course of the day so your child begins to understand the routines of the day.

5. It is important for you to say goodbye when separating from the child and to go promptly when you say that you are going. Long, delayed goodbyes or returning because the child is crying is detrimental to our settling in process.

6. It is important for you to return at the time you have told your child that you are coming to collect them. Being late or disappointing your child by sending another collector will only delay and prolong the settling in process.

7. It is important to ensure that your child has adequate change of clothing available at the nursery at all times.

8. Staff will be perceptive for signs of anxiety pre-empt these, to reassure you and your child.

9. The keyworker will give you verbal reports at the end of each day with regards to sleep, eating and general wellbeing.

10. Parents can telephone the school at any time during the settling in period if they are concerned about their child.

Most children may show signs of upset or anxiety when separating from their parent/carer during their early days in the nursery. Although this is quite normal, it can be quite upsetting for the parent/carer leaving the child behind. However, rest assured and trust in our many years of experience in this field.

Happy settling in

Fluppet’s Montessori Prospectus

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